A LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE FOR DSF SCHOLARS

Growing up in New Mexico as the daughter of educators, Lorii has always sought new, comprehensive ways to build pathways to success by providing access to opportunity. With a natural curiosity and zest for learning, Lorii manifests this passion through her work with Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) and her volunteer efforts throughout the community. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of New Mexico, Lorii started her nonlinear professional path in the private and nonprofit sectors with work ranging from media and business development to strategic partnerships, organizational optimization and start-ups. A connector by instinct and later by trade, Lorii has a particular affinity for linking people to each other, and their goals, while simultaneously building relationships and co-creating future successes with diverse groups of stakeholders. The customized approach to student success designed and implemented by DSF, combined with the stellar team, extraordinary Scholars, dedicated Board and community partners drew Lorii into the greatest opportunity of her life, to serve as the organization’s chief executive officer. Learn more about Lorii on LinkedIn.

This session will explore how our gifts and talents are the ultimate blueprint in embracing our personal and unique leadership styles. Whether you are an artist, scientist, educator or everything else in between, honoring your authenticity is honoring the leader you are being called to be. Join me as we explore and celebrate the leader in you.

About Yazz

Yazz Atmore is just a scattered brain barefoot babe who likes to dance with words, play in the spirit world & dabble in art magic. Having created her own degree from Metropolitan State University, Yazz obtained a BA in Supporting High Risk Youth through the Arts.

Yazz is a community organizer, creative & educator in Denver, Colorado where she continues to mentor and create with young artists as they explore their lives, stories, and passions through the beauty of art. Constantly, inspired by the youth + community she works with, Yazz continues to develop & deepen her own artistry as an analog collagist and muralist. Her work is heavily influenced by her spiritual journey as she loves exploring the spirit world with God, Ancestors & her Spirit Team. As an expressionist intuitive mixed media artist, she creates breathtaking hand cut collage works, with the use of bright bold colors, metallic paints and gold leaf.

Come learn how leadership is a transferable skill across industries ranging from music to finance. Then work on skills to uncover your motivations behind your leadership journey and how you can use your skills to create a more inclusive world.

About Sean

Sean Choi is a Colorado Native, Korean American, and son of immigrants. He is currently a Senior Vice President and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for FirstBank. As a first-generation college student, Sean attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and later attended the University of Colorado at Denver graduating with an M.B.A. in Finance.

Sean has a passion to implement diverse, equitable, and inclusive strategies that benefit employees, consumers, and the community. He is currently a Board Member for the Food Bank of the Rockies and served as a Board Member on multiple non-profits including the Asian Chamber of Commerce (former Board Chair), Scholars Unlimited (former Board Chair), the Havana Business Improvement District in Aurora, CO, and the Aurora Symphony Orchestra.

In his free time, Sean is an award-winning DJ and two-time winner of Westword Magazine’s “Best Hip-Hop DJ in Denver” (2006, 2013). He has performed nationwide at historic venues such as the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, and Red Rocks.

“Leadership is a Mindset” is a session designed to challenge you to think of the possibilities and opportunities available to you when you consider actions over authority. How do your actions make you a better leader than a job title ever will?

About Matthew

Matthew Diaz graduated in 2009 from Denver North High School. He went on to attend the University of Colorado Denver where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management. He attributes his great college experience to the support from family, friends, and organizations like CU Denver’s Pre-Collegiate Development Programs and Denver Scholarship Foundation who provided the necessary resources for post-secondary education success. In April 2023, Matthew will celebrate 8 years at Wells Fargo Bank, where he has spent the last 5 years coaching, developing, and leading teams to their own career successes. He is a proud father of 2 young children who he is raising with his wife, Alyssa Diaz, who is also a DSF alum.

Attendees of this session will rotate with a small group of other DSF Scholars. You will meet with industry “mentors” in 5-minute increments with the opportunity to ask questions related to career and educational experience, job searching, professional development, and more. This is an excellent opportunity to practice your networking skills, learn about different industries, and connect about career advice and advancement!

About Sara

Born in Denver and raised in Fort Collins, Sara’s passion for working with and engaging the community began at an early age. After years of volunteering with multiple nonprofits, she took her interests with her to CSU where she received her BS in Human Development and Family Studies, and a minor in Ethnic Studies. Determined to continue her education, she decided to go back to school for her Master of Social Work at DU, concentrating in Organizational Leadership and Policy Practice. While in graduate school, Sara spent a year as a College Access Graduate Intern at DSF, supporting students at West High School. That year, as well as her following year interning with Children’s Hospital’s Medical Career Collaborative program, validated her passion for supporting students achieve and succeed in higher education. Sara is excited to have returned to DSF as the Corporate Relations and Volunteer Manager where she works to build partnerships with organizations to support programming and scholarships. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Denver’s food scene, catching up on the latest Netflix series, and spending time with her husband and family.

Leadership is an ever-evolving landscape in 2022 and beyond. More than ever, we need leaders who have a unique cultural and social language. We need to provide more opportunities for young POC and marginalized people to come and become a guiding light for those who are coming up next to them.

In this session, you will get to explore why your identity and story are important to whatever school you attend or the career you get into. With the help of local artist Brayan Montes AKA YAMZ, you will:

• See a story of how your authenticity can push your career forward.
• Learn skills to own your story and use it in your career.
• Learn about your fellow scholars and what their identities mean to them.

About Brayan

Denver-based Artist Brayan Montes-Terrazas is better known by his alias YAMZ. Under YAMZ, Brayan’s unwavering identity-driven art stresses the importance of putting marginalized voices at the forefront of our conversations and the stories we tell.

He is driven by the essential need to tell the stories of his identity as an undocumented, queer person of color. Using art and design as the vessel to show others that they are not alone in the fight toward equity, justice and sound mental health.

While he continues to develop the YAMZ: World of Color as both an art-based brand and community-driven organization, he maintains the principle that when we uplift marginalized identities through art we can heal, provide business solutions and bring each other up because representation matters, and we must strive to build equity in the art and design fields.

Attendees of this session will rotate with a small group of other DSF Scholars. You will meet with industry “mentors” in 5-minute increments with the opportunity to ask questions related to career and educational experience, job searching, professional development, and more. This is an excellent opportunity to practice your networking skills, learn about different industries, and connect about career advice and advancement!

About Rachel

Rachel Taylor is from Denver, Colorado and currently serves as a COSI Grant Coordinator and Student Counselor at Colorado State University Fort Collins. Rachel is a proud Denver Public Schools, Montbello High School, and CSU Fort Collins graduate, and is also Denver Scholarship Foundation alum. In her current position, she works with the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiatives Grant and works directly with students from a myriad of award and scholarship programs including DSF. In June of 2020 Rachel graduated from the University of Denver and received her M.A. in Higher Education with an emphasis in Diversity and Higher Learning. During her time as a graduate student and beyond she has worked in Housing and Residential Education, Denver based Non – Profits, Access and Retention, Student Success, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

In this session, you’ll learn 5 things you can do today to increase your network and build your personal brand. People often wait to do things like create a LinkedIn profile until they’ve graduated from school or are more established in their careers. Today’s college students and new college graduates are at the perfect time and place to leverage social media and other digital tools to plant seeds NOW that will fuel their success tomorrow and for a lifetime. Learn how!

About Olivia

Olivia Omega is a branding strategist and seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of brand positioning, digital marketing, communications, and advertising experience across startup, nonprofit, public and private sectors. She is currently the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at the Denver Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to inspire and empower Denver Public Schools’ students to achieve their college goals through college access, promise-based scholarships, and college success.

Olivia serves as Advisory Council member and Entrepreneur in Residence at the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. She is also Founder Track Chair for Denver Startup Week and co-founder of Wallace Marketing Group.

As a TEDx speaker, diversity and inclusion advocate, and author, Olivia has studied the importance of authenticity for both brands and individuals, and what it means to show up in a genuine way. Half of her career was spent at an advertising agency and the other 10 years as an entrepreneur and small business owner. Personal brand identity and authentic expression of one’s unique individuality played a large role in both career paths as described in her book Beautifully Branded: The Girl’s Guide to Understanding the Anatomy of Brand You.

Olivia graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business and CU Presidents Leadership Class in 2001. Since then, Olivia has volunteered her time mentoring students and lecturing on personal branding and marketing. She has a deep passion for encouraging and inspiring high school and college students in the areas of leadership and business, as well as championing nonprofit projects and missions that elevate under-represented communities.

Olivia lives just outside of Denver, CO and is a wife and mom of a second-year college student and two Denver Public School high school students.

Jennifer Samuel’s hard work comes from the strength and perseverance of her immigrant parents. Because of them, she has been able to excel in academics and business ownership, and has been awarded at many companies and leadership organizations, including the 2020 Leadership Denver program from the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, a prestigious executive and leadership program.

She has 16 years of experience in entrepreneurship and integrated marketing including digital marketing. Her corporate roles were in strategic planning, relationship building, and project management. Through her marketing consulting business, she hosted workshops, created digital marketing plans, and provided consultation for start-ups.

She worked in various industries and for Fortune 500 and Forbes companies and received awards in marketing. Her biggest accomplishment is the ownership of her training gym called Perseverance located in Denver, CO and the opening of their second location at Stanley Marketplace.

When she is not managing her businesses, she is teaching Sales/Marketing for Entrepreneurs at CU Denver in the spring semester. She enjoys working with Asian, Black, and Filipino communities, mentoring youth programs, along with directing cultural and contemporary dance.

This session will explore how our gifts and talents are the ultimate blueprint in embracing our personal and unique leadership styles. Whether you are an artist, scientist, educator or everything else in between, honoring your authenticity is honoring the leader you are being called to be. Join me as we explore and celebrate the leader in you.

About Yazz

Yazz Atmore is just a scattered brain barefoot babe who likes to dance with words, play in the spirit world & dabble in art magic. Having created her own degree from Metropolitan State University, Yazz obtained a BA in Supporting High Risk Youth through the Arts.

Yazz is a community organizer, creative & educator in Denver, Colorado where she continues to mentor and create with young artists as they explore their lives, stories, and passions through the beauty of art. Constantly, inspired by the youth + community she works with, Yazz continues to develop & deepen her own artistry as an analog collagist and muralist. Her work is heavily influenced by her spiritual journey as she loves exploring the spirit world with God, Ancestors & her Spirit Team. As an expressionist intuitive mixed media artist, she creates breathtaking hand cut collage works, with the use of bright bold colors, metallic paints and gold leaf.

Come learn how leadership is a transferable skill across industries ranging from music to finance. Then work on skills to uncover your motivations behind your leadership journey and how you can use your skills to create a more inclusive world.

About Sean

Sean Choi is a Colorado Native, Korean American, and son of immigrants. He is currently a Senior Vice President and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for FirstBank. As a first-generation college student, Sean attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and later attended the University of Colorado at Denver graduating with an M.B.A. in Finance.

Sean has a passion to implement diverse, equitable, and inclusive strategies that benefit employees, consumers, and the community. He is currently a Board Member for the Food Bank of the Rockies and served as a Board Member on multiple non-profits including the Asian Chamber of Commerce (former Board Chair), Scholars Unlimited (former Board Chair), the Havana Business Improvement District in Aurora, CO, and the Aurora Symphony Orchestra.

In his free time, Sean is an award-winning DJ and two-time winner of Westword Magazine’s “Best Hip-Hop DJ in Denver” (2006, 2013). He has performed nationwide at historic venues such as the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, and Red Rocks.

“Leadership is a Mindset” is a session designed to challenge you to think of the possibilities and opportunities available to you when you consider actions over authority. How do your actions make you a better leader than a job title ever will?

About Matthew

Matthew Diaz graduated in 2009 from Denver North High School. He went on to attend the University of Colorado Denver where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management. He attributes his great college experience to the support from family, friends, and organizations like CU Denver’s Pre-Collegiate Development Programs and Denver Scholarship Foundation who provided the necessary resources for post-secondary education success. In April 2023, Matthew will celebrate 8 years at Wells Fargo Bank, where he has spent the last 5 years coaching, developing, and leading teams to their own career successes. He is a proud father of 2 young children who he is raising with his wife, Alyssa Diaz, who is also a DSF alum.

Attendees of this session will rotate with a small group of other DSF Scholars. You will meet with industry “mentors” in 5-minute increments with the opportunity to ask questions related to career and educational experience, job searching, professional development, and more. This is an excellent opportunity to practice your networking skills, learn about different industries, and connect about career advice and advancement!

About Sara

Born in Denver and raised in Fort Collins, Sara’s passion for working with and engaging the community began at an early age. After years of volunteering with multiple nonprofits, she took her interests with her to CSU where she received her BS in Human Development and Family Studies, and a minor in Ethnic Studies. Determined to continue her education, she decided to go back to school for her Master of Social Work at DU, concentrating in Organizational Leadership and Policy Practice. While in graduate school, Sara spent a year as a College Access Graduate Intern at DSF, supporting students at West High School. That year, as well as her following year interning with Children’s Hospital’s Medical Career Collaborative program, validated her passion for supporting students achieve and succeed in higher education. Sara is excited to have returned to DSF as the Corporate Relations and Volunteer Manager where she works to build partnerships with organizations to support programming and scholarships. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Denver’s food scene, catching up on the latest Netflix series, and spending time with her husband and family.

Leadership is an ever-evolving landscape in 2022 and beyond. More than ever, we need leaders who have a unique cultural and social language. We need to provide more opportunities for young POC and marginalized people to come and become a guiding light for those who are coming up next to them.

In this session, you will get to explore why your identity and story are important to whatever school you attend or the career you get into. With the help of local artist Brayan Montes AKA YAMZ, you will:

• See a story of how your authenticity can push your career forward.
• Learn skills to own your story and use it in your career.
• Learn about your fellow scholars and what their identities mean to them.

About Brayan

Denver-based Artist Brayan Montes-Terrazas is better known by his alias YAMZ. Under YAMZ, Brayan’s unwavering identity-driven art stresses the importance of putting marginalized voices at the forefront of our conversations and the stories we tell.

He is driven by the essential need to tell the stories of his identity as an undocumented, queer person of color. Using art and design as the vessel to show others that they are not alone in the fight toward equity, justice and sound mental health.

While he continues to develop the YAMZ: World of Color as both an art-based brand and community-driven organization, he maintains the principle that when we uplift marginalized identities through art we can heal, provide business solutions and bring each other up because representation matters, and we must strive to build equity in the art and design fields.

In this session, you’ll learn 5 things you can do today to increase your network and build your personal brand. People often wait to do things like create a LinkedIn profile until they’ve graduated from school or are more established in their careers. Today’s college students and new college graduates are at the perfect time and place to leverage social media and other digital tools to plant seeds NOW that will fuel their success tomorrow and for a lifetime. Learn how!

About Olivia

Olivia Omega is a branding strategist and seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of brand positioning, digital marketing, communications, and advertising experience across startup, nonprofit, public and private sectors. She is currently the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at the Denver Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to inspire and empower Denver Public Schools’ students to achieve their college goals through college access, promise-based scholarships, and college success.

Olivia serves as Advisory Council member and Entrepreneur in Residence at the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. She is also Founder Track Chair for Denver Startup Week and co-founder of Wallace Marketing Group.

As a TEDx speaker, diversity and inclusion advocate, and author, Olivia has studied the importance of authenticity for both brands and individuals, and what it means to show up in a genuine way. Half of her career was spent at an advertising agency and the other 10 years as an entrepreneur and small business owner. Personal brand identity and authentic expression of one’s unique individuality played a large role in both career paths as described in her book Beautifully Branded: The Girl’s Guide to Understanding the Anatomy of Brand You.

Olivia graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business and CU Presidents Leadership Class in 2001. Since then, Olivia has volunteered her time mentoring students and lecturing on personal branding and marketing. She has a deep passion for encouraging and inspiring high school and college students in the areas of leadership and business, as well as championing nonprofit projects and missions that elevate under-represented communities.

Olivia lives just outside of Denver, CO and is a wife and mom of a second-year college student and two Denver Public School high school students.

Growing up in New Mexico as the daughter of educators, Lorii has always sought new, comprehensive ways to build pathways to success by providing access to opportunity. With a natural curiosity and zest for learning, Lorii manifests this passion through her work with Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) and her volunteer efforts throughout the community. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of New Mexico, Lorii started her nonlinear professional path in the private and nonprofit sectors with work ranging from media and business development to strategic partnerships, organizational optimization and start-ups. A connector by instinct and later by trade, Lorii has a particular affinity for linking people to each other, and their goals, while simultaneously building relationships and co-creating future successes with diverse groups of stakeholders. The customized approach to student success designed and implemented by DSF, combined with the stellar team, extraordinary Scholars, dedicated Board and community partners drew Lorii into the greatest opportunity of her life, to serve as the organization’s chief executive officer. Learn more about Lorii on LinkedIn.